Mustang Band Experience

[Peruna Knight]

Why don't they do this during football season also? Would make much more sense when we play a big game to have them there for reinforcements. So tired of our band being drowned out by the likes of.. well, every other band.

I've been to all the games in Ford Staduim for the past few years plus some of the closer away games and i haven't heard them being drowned out by the visiting band. They usually hold their own against the larger bands and in many cases beat them. Also at the away games that the band is there, they can beat the home band.

As to the topic of doing this for football season, yes it is a great idea to do it..and it has been done before. It is hard to get the big high school bnd to come in because of all the UIL contests. when the smaller schools come few of them can afford to come to SMU in the first place so few sign up to come here. It would help that if the band's budget was increased that SMU host a marching contest and get the kids that could come here to see SMU and one of the few orginal band in the nation.

[WorldStang]

Drowned out.. See TCU, UTEP and Baylor.. all those bands made our band seem it's size "small"

[DiamondM75]

Why don't they do this during football season also? Would make much more sense when we play a big game to have them there for reinforcements. So tired of our band being drowned out by the likes of.. well, every other band.

The current band directors are working on something like this for football season. It is very hard to get bands during FB season because of all the committments of high school bands for their football games and UIL marching contests. But, THERE WILL BE HIGH SCHOOL BANDS at Ford this fall.

One item that happened this year with the "experience" was some small high school band directors wanted to bring their entire band. This event could not handle such a request because of size limitations, but there are discussions on how to accomplish this type of request.

All these new band recruiting techniques are in their infancy and great things are starting to happen, but we must crawl before we walk and walk before we run. All of this is just so exciting.

[SMUPhil]

WorldStang,

They have had something like this, off and on for years. I know they did it in 2003 and 2004. Basically, it was "band day" at Ford Stadium, and we had 12-15 complete bands come and join the SMU band in the stands and for a halftime show. In 2004, we had Bryan Adams HS, Pottsboro, Bells, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, WT White, Booker T Washington Arts Magnet, Royse City, and a few others. At halftime they played "Vehicle", Pony Battle Cry, and "Can't Turn You Loose" all together, several hundred people on the field.

I'm sure it's in the works for the future, now that the new director has a complete season under his belt.

The Mustang Band was the smallest this year than it's been in a long time, but the new director has already imlpemented some changes and new recruitment ideas (like the bball game thing), that will definitely rebuild the size. It may take 2-3 years to really notice, but trust me, no one wants the band to be stuck at 50-60 members.

[DiamondM75]

As promised, here is a list of the high schools and the number of students from each school that participated.

Bryan Adams 3
Celina 1
DeSoto 1
Eustace 2
Lakeview-Centennial 2
Mabank 1
McKinney North 2
Melissa 8
Midland Lee 1
New Braunfels Canyon 1
North Garland 1
Mesquite Poteet 1
Prosper 4
Quinlan Ford 2
South Garland 3
Sunset 2
Tenaha 1
West Mesquite 4
Wylie 2

[Peruna Knight]

Drowned out.. See TCU, UTEP and Baylor.. all those bands made our band seem it's size "small"

I can see how you can see the UTEP and Baylor games as in their favor..
UTEP has an army of good Trumpets which can be heard fairly easily cause a Trumpet sound does carry well. So they out number our trumpets probably 2-3 to 1.

Baylor has a good music program and requires all music majors to march at least one year plus they invest a fair amount of money into the band. Good funding will always bring in kids to play. Something we lack, but the new director is doing everything he can to get $ to help bring high school kids to play in our band.

However I'll have to disargee with the fort Worth High school band, their show was weak, i'm not being bias towards SMU.. TCU has had some good sounds in recent years but this year in my opinion wasn't one of them.

I figure we'll never agree on this and may post again and again. So i figure i'll just leave it like this

SMU give little scholarship money relative to tution costs unlike other schools. Less money means the kids have to pay it themselves. also less benifits from possible post season play from bowl games and such make it less attractive to prospective students. So with a smaller pool to recuit from growth of the band will be limited. I'll use a quote that the Football Program used a while in past years, "It's a rebuilding year." Which in our case it is. With a new director doing everything he can to get prospective students to take notice of the band..all the way to the football team winning big games like TCU,Rice,UTEP, @ Houston, @UAB, interests in the school is higher and more people will look at ways to support a growing program like band, cheerleading, and the dozens of other student organizations that have roped off sections in the stands.
As Smuphil said "It may take 2-3 years to really notice, but trust me, no one wants the band to be stuck at 50-60 members. "
what will help this move faster is getting help from people that criticze the band for being small but not will to help the band grow faster. Just cause the alumni donate to the school doesn't mean the band will see anything.
so in recap questions about the band on why we are small and ways to increase band recuiting and retention- good
critize band and not willing to help - bad.

[WorldStang]

WorldStang,

They have had something like this, off and on for years. I know they did it in 2003 and 2004. Basically, it was "band day" at Ford Stadium, and we had 12-15 complete bands come and join the SMU band in the stands and for a halftime show. In 2004, we had Bryan Adams HS, Pottsboro, Bells, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, WT White, Booker T Washington Arts Magnet, Royse City, and a few others. At halftime they played "Vehicle", Pony Battle Cry, and "Can't Turn You Loose" all together, several hundred people on the field.

I'm sure it's in the works for the future, now that the new director has a complete season under his belt.

The Mustang Band was the smallest this year than it's been in a long time, but the new director has already imlpemented some changes and new recruitment ideas (like the bball game thing), that will definitely rebuild the size. It may take 2-3 years to really notice, but trust me, no one wants the band to be stuck at 50-60 members.

That's all good news.. just wasn't aware it was something we've done in the past. thanks!

[EastStang]

Why is Meadows being so negative about band participation? If nothing else its practice time. When did that change? My sister-in-law is an oboe player. She discovered that unless you are like the best oboe player in the country, there is not much in the way of professional opportunities to play. What did she do? Joined the Marines. She got to play oboe in the Marine Stage band and French Horn in the marching band. So marching band experience woud increase opportunities for playing even if it is in the military. Also, the Mustang band style gives them a taste of a style other than classical or rock which they might find they enjoy.

[SMUPhil]

Meadows probably thinks of it like this: Would a varsity football player be able to play rec league soccer? Probably discouraged, right? Why? He could get hurt, it could cut into other football practice time, etc. Sure you could argue that it would help him get in shape or whatever, but to the football coaches, that's still not a valid tradeoff. That's how they seem to approach the music major thing. If a music major really wants to be in the Mustang Band, they usually let them, but it's definitely not encouraged. They see it as a distraction that will make you play with an outdoor sound, other than the way you are being taught in Meadows to play your instrument.

Maybe I'll see your sister in the fleet, is she hot?

[couch 'em]

Meadows probably thinks of it like this: Would a varsity football player be able to play rec league soccer?

A better comparison for them to understand is would be (I think) a pro baseball player playing Cricket. I assume swinging a baseball bat and a ....cricket bat (?) is similar but different. Thus they are close enough together that practicing one could affect the other.

[DiamondM]

Phil & Couch -- That still doesn't explain why pretty much every other music school in the country, including some very well respected ones, with a DI football team and band not only encourage participation in the marching band, but REQUIRE it.

You play differently when you play in a jazz ensemble than a wind symphony or a pit orchestra, but I don't see them saying "stick to one discipline" in that case. Good musicians are able to adapt their style, volume, and everything else.

[SMUPhil]

Not to sound like I'm defending Meadows, but I think this is how they see it.

First of all, they aren't like most other music schools in the country. Many of those big state school music depts cater to the state, as in preparing teachers and focusing much more on music education. In music education, it seems that variety is a good thing. If your students are going to be teaching a marching band in 3 years, why not require them to be in the University marching band and kill 2 birds with one stone?

Meadows is a "conservatory" type music school, with small studios geared towards developing professional, symphony orchestra players. They will say this up front, that they take a unique small school approach to their music programs. I think Rice is the same way, very "highly regarded" music school with this conservatory approach. I don't think there's an instrumental studio in Meadows that has more than 10 people, maybe someone can prove me wrong. They seem to stick to the straight and narrow with this approach: hire a professional to teach individual instrument classes, fill up their curriculum with other music history/theory courses, etc. If you are training the future principal trumpet for the DSO, you're not going to want to waste your time on jazz, marching band, etc. This is why Meadows has no jazz program, only a jazz band that meets once a week, and wants nothing to do with a marching band.

Let's face it, no one is going to go to SMU to study for a job that wil pay less than their previous year of college cost. Now somewhere like FSU or Texas is going to have several hundred music majors at any time, many of them trying to become band directors, etc. That is why they hire a faculty that can also run a marching band, a jazz program, a guitar studio, whatever. They want you to be able to teach all that, so they provide the opportunity for you to experience it at a collegiate level.

Also, when referring to Meadows, realize that it really isn't full of music majors, there are a ton of art, theater, dance, and advertising people there too. Would it be nice to have their support? Sure, but I don't think that's what's keeping the band down.

[couch 'em]

Phil & Couch -- That still doesn't explain why pretty much every other music school in the country, including some very well respected ones, with a DI football team and band not only encourage participation in the marching band, but REQUIRE it.

You play differently when you play in a jazz ensemble than a wind symphony or a pit orchestra, but I don't see them saying "stick to one discipline" in that case. Good musicians are able to adapt their style, volume, and everything else.

Believe me, I'm explaining their excuse, not excusing or agreeing with them.

[BarbaraAnn]

I'm gonna say they should buy back the drummin' cowboy for another tour of duty as drum major. hat included.

h.e.l.l. n.o.

But if anyone in Moody would like to give me a nice, decent-paying job that involves SMU sports, I'd do it.

[abezontar]

maybe you could be the spanish speaking marketing liason to the hispanic areas of dallas